A Hero's Fate
by Raiyne of Gailin
Summary: Link returns to Hyrule as an adult from Termina, only to find that evil has once again landed in his home country...and it wants the triforce!


The Legend of Zelda:  
  
A Hero's Fate  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Any characters or names in this novel that coincide with those of the Zelda game series are the sole property of the makers and writers of that series.  
  
Table of Contents  
  
Chapter 1 3  
  
Chapter 2 7  
  
Chapter 3 10  
  
Chapter 4 12  
  
Chapter 5 13  
  
Chapter 6 17  
  
Chapter 7 19  
  
Chapter 8 22  
  
Chapter 9 25  
  
Chapter 10 27  
  
Chapter 11 29  
  
Chapter 12 30  
  
Chapter 13 32  
  
Chapter 14 35  
  
Pronunciation Guide 36 Chapter 1 It was almost dawn when I finally reached the castle gates. The sky had already begun to don its usual heavenly hues of orange and violet. However, despite the gloriousness of the castle in the dawning light, I grew so weary that I nearly fell of my horse. What a sight I must have been! The drawbridge began to descend just as the sun peaked over the mountains. I tapped Epona with my heels once more only to be flung sideways as she fell to the ground in a sleeping trance. Instead of trying to pry her from her dreams, I left the exhausted mass in front of the gate. She would not leave if she awoke before I came to get her again. The outer castle walls seemed only a few feet above the ground, though the last time I glanced up at the immense structures they seemed at least a mile high. I approached Hyrule Castle Town with slow, jagged strides. As I looked around I noticed that the fountain in the middle of the marketplace had ceased to function, and that the bombchu gallery had been replaced with a ramshackle inn. But the hustle and bustle I remembered so much remained, as frantic merchants bartered with their customers. All that could be heard were quarrelling voices, no longer muffled by the beautiful, placid sound of the center fountain. I walked on, thinking to myself of the last time I was in this warm place, a place that almost seemed like home to me. Eight years had passed since I promised I would visit Zelda, before I began my journeys. I could only hope she would remember me. As I approached the castle guard, he began to steady his stance, propping up his chest and tilting his head up a little. "Who are you, and what is your business at the castle?" This guard was not the same one who guarded the entrance to the castle when I was younger. He seemed much tougher, very unfriendly. "I am Link, and I believe I am over-due for a visit with the princess." I tried to keep my voice light, though I was exhausted. "I know nothing of this. I am afraid I cannot let you pass, sir." The guard seemed to hold his nose up to me. He was obviously disgusted with me, for what reason I knew not. "Sir, if you would just ask the princess for her permission for my seeing her, I would be very much obliged." After all, I did still have manners! "Yes, well, I don't stand here all day to oblige every peasant who comes to the gate asking for clearance to the castle, do I?" His sarcasm was beginning to annoy me. True, he was not the first to mock me, but I was no peasant. "I am not a peasant, sir, I am a warrior." I do hate to call myself that, but he left me no choice. I can't stand to boast. "Ooooh, a warrior! What do you do, battle the chickens to save fair horses?" "That will be quite enough!" A woman's voice raged at the contemptuous man. He seemed to tremble as he stood at attention at the sound of her voice. I looked up, only to see Princess Zelda herself. She wore a glistening white robe and cape, with the royal seal and the eye of truth in the center of the front. Her hair was golden, tied back at the temples by a band with a jewel centered on her forehead. "Link, join me. We have much to talk about," she said in a much kinder tone. As we began toward the castle, I could hear the strange soldier's mumbling scorns, kindly directed at me. At the lowered drawbridge, Zelda nodded to the two contiguous guards. We crossed the bridge and entered the main hall to the sound of clanking chains as the drawbridge was elevated behind us. The hall was grand, with thick, blood red carpets and immense stained-glass windows, reaching nearly fifty feet in height. Each was a segment of the chronicles of Hyrule. Massive wooden tables adorned with lace and gold bordered the room. A colossal golden chandelier strung with crystals ornately adorned the domed ceiling, on which were painted scenes of the heavens as well as the Sacred Realm. I stared in awe at the handsome murals, which almost seemed to carry me away into the clouds and heavens they depicted. I felt Zelda tug at my arm, leading me across the foyer, though I paid no attention to my intended direction, instead my eyes remaining fixed upon the artwork of an antechamber. Princess Zelda led me to the same courtyard that we had met in those many years ago. As we approached the stoop, where she spied on Ganondorf as a child, she spun around, her dress twirling in midair, and sat upon the stone steps. She placed her hand next to herself, indicating to me her request that I sit next to her. I obliged her request, taking a small bow before I took a seat on the cold stone. I looked into her eyes, which were filled with excitement, with life, and sparkled like sapphires in the sunset. The high spirits in her expression quickly turned into concern. "Will you stay, Link?" I didn't know how to answer her, for I was unaware of whether or not I would stay. "I don't know, Zelda. I may need to depart on another quest in the future. Only the goddesses know." "Please stay. You could become my personal guard, or my father's. You would be quite helpful to us here." Zelda pleaded with all her might. I would have declined her offer, if I had not seen the tears begin to swell up in her eyes. "Zelda--" "You don't know how much it would mean to me, to Hyrule, if you were to stay here and protect this land. I know I'm being greedy, there may be some land out there that needs a hero just as much as this one, or more, but I need you here." "All right, you win. I'll stay, Princess." Her eyes brightened, and she threw her arms around me. "Thank you so much!" Zelda stood, dusting her dress. "I will show you to your room. You don't mind staying in the palace, do you?" Without waiting for my answer, she grabbed my hand and led me up three flights of stairs to a large room, though miniscule in comparison with many of the other rooms of the castle. Reaching for the bulky brass handle, she opened the large wooden door slowly, which produced an irritating, low-pitched screech. The room was not lavishly decorated, but decorated none the less. A large bed bordered one wall near the door, a dresser and vanity on another, a table and chairs on the third, and two huge windows on the last, opposite the door. Silk curtains draped from the window tops. "This is where you will be staying, unless you request another room. I only picked this one because it has a good view, and I thought that might come in handy to you. After all, you are supposed to protect Hyrule. It's a good lookout room." Doubtless, she would have kept on going if I hadn't interrupted. "The room is perfect, Zelda. Thanks." She smiled at me, staring into me as if she waited for something. I only stared back incomprehensively. After a minute, she smiled again and left the room. I looked around, familiarizing myself with my new surroundings. Nearly an hour passed when I remembered Epona. My things were still affixed to her saddle in two sacks, one containing extra tunics and personal belongings and the other holding weapons and items found on my journey. But Zelda had just left me in the room alone. I had no idea where anything in the castle was, much less someone who could retrieve my horse. I walked to the door and attempted to open it slowly and without noise, though the door creaked anyway. Shutting the door behind me, I proceeded down a long corridor, searching for a guard or servant, or anyone for that matter. Hearing a loud commotion coming from the left halls, I somehow I managed to find my way to the apparent meeting hall of the castle, where it seemed everyone of importance in Hyrule congregated. Men shouted over each other with grave expressions over a subject of obvious importance. I sneaked into the long chamber, where at least twenty people sat around a long wooden table debating their views with others. Zelda sat at one end, while the king sat at the other. I soon caught on to the conversation's topic, hearing words sporadically repeated. As I crept closer along the wall and apparently unnoticed, I could hear almost every word. "Sire, what are we to do if he attacks? Know you not what potential danger he is to us, to Hyrule?" I heard a tall man in full service uniform speak. Medals decorated his chest armor. He was about the age of thirty- eight, and his black hair slightly covered his blue eyes. "He is of no importance to us. He has little power here. He used it all getting free of that Dark Realm," said a younger man with neat blond hair and small brown eyes. "Do not underestimate his powers," spoke the king in a very serious tone. I tried to creep closer so I could hear more easily. "Though his magic may be weak, his forces are still strong. Remember, he has the entire Gerudo race at his disposal. One single mistake on our part could be disastrous." Just as he finished his sentence, the younger man noticed my presence in the room, and made my presence known to all. "You there, what are you doing in here? No commoners are allowed in the meeting hall!" He walked over to me, grabbing my arm. "How much did you here?" He was ostensibly very angry, for he spat every word out with what seemed almost a vengeance. "Get off him, Simon!" Zelda shouted at the soldier. This was the second time she had bailed me out of a confrontation with one of her guards. "He's allowed. He is my guest." She looked to her father for approval, and he nodded in response. "Come in, Link, I will explain." I found a seat between her and the tall soldier. He looked at me inquiringly. "Everyone," she began," this is Link. He will be staying here to protect us for a--" Zelda was unable to complete her clarification of the situation when Simon broke in again, jumping from his seat. "Protect us!? Him? He's just a kid!" he scoffed. "It is the duty of the Hylian guards to protect Hyrule, not this, this, kid!" I was beginning to dislike this soldier. He was almost as obnoxious as the guard I had met earlier. "Link is no kid, mind you!" Zelda voiced with a heated tone. "He is the protector of Hyrule, and one more word from you, sir, and you will be removed from this meeting!" Shocked, as the rest of the crowd was, the Simon sat down in his chair. The new uneasiness in the room was relieved when Zelda began her explanation again. "As I was saying, Link will be staying with us for quite some time." She directed her attention to me. "Link, Ganondorf has returned somehow from the Dark Realm. This meeting was called to debate our actions toward him. If at any point you have something to add, please feel free to jump in." With that, she smiled at me then turned back to the crowd. "Now, where were we?" "What if Ganondorf attempts an invasion?" asked another guard. "We don't even have enough bloody manpower to deflect a full invasion by the Gerudos!" added the tall soldier. "We will have to find a way to avoid him," the king announced. "Perhaps there can be a silent peace between our two races." "Sir, may I speak?" I asked. "Certainly." Standing in place, I began a little hesitantly, for they didn't know that I had defeated him once before, and probably wouldn't believe me even if I told them. "Sire, I know this Ganondorf well. He will not stay quiet for very long. I suggest you find a way to single him out from the Gerudos and destroy him immediately." "How do you know so much about this man, boy?" questioned Simon irritatingly. "Why should we listen to you? You look like you've never even touched a sword!" I couldn't help but smirk at his comment, though his incessant interruptions were incredibly bothersome. "Because I have confronted him before," I belted out. "He is full of evil and hatred, and that is why he was sealed in the Dark Realm eight years ago." "How do you know so much, boy?" he started again, speaking rather quickly. "That isn't even how the legend goes, anyway. Ganondorf was really trapped in the Dark Realm by our ancestors, therefore creating a time span of much longer than eight years! Therefore, you could not have confronted him at all!" He held up his head in pride. Infuriated, I gave a sigh, throwing my hands up in forfeit and sat back down. His arguments wore me out, though they were usually wrong. "Don't be so sure of yourself," Zelda interrupted. "You don't know if the legend is fact." "You're just as delusional and disrespectful as he is! You have no business ruling a country!" Simon screeched. "I've had enough of this!" The king turned to the tall soldier. "Kiron, escort Simon from this conjugation." "Yes, my liege," replied the tall soldier. He tried to hold Simon's arm to escort him, but Simon snatched his hand back and stomped out of the room. Kiron returned to his seat. "That is enough for now. We will not make any decisions tonight." With that, King Harkinian left the room while everyone bowed their heads. Zelda turned to me. "Link, do you need help relocating your quarters?" "No, Princess, I think I can manage." After all, I did find my way to the meeting hall. "Very well. If you need anything, there will be a servant posted near your door." She turned and left the room. I was the last to leave. I found my way back down the passages and up several flights of stairs to my room, when I realized I had never fulfilled my task. Epona was still outside the castle walls, along with my things! Before I entered my room I spotted a servant. "Excuse me, you're a servant, right?" "Why, yes sir," he replied with an unusually high-pitched voice. "Will you retrieve my horse and belongings from the gates outside the marketplace?" "Yes sir!" He ran down the hallway and out of sight with shocking speed. I entered my room and sat on the bed. Only a few minutes had passed when I heard a knock at my door. The servant stood behind the door with my sacks. "Your horse is in the stables, sir. Now if you don't mind, I'll be in my quarters next door." I took my things from him. "Thank you very much." I shut the door and laid my things out on the bed. I took the tunics out and placed them in the tiny drawers in the dresser, as well as my personal belongings such as the ocarina that Zelda had given me years before and some tunics and items I had used when I was younger. In the bottom of the bag was a single mask I had kept for years, the Fierce Deity Mask. I had acquired it in Termina and used it to defeat the spirit in Majora's Mask. When I wore it, I became Oni Link, becoming slightly taller, my tunic turning into armor, my hair turning white, and my skin turning pale. Strange markings covered my forehead and cheeks, but only when I wore it. I put the mask away and proceeded to empty out the bag of weapons, including a sword I acquired in Termina, the Lens of Truth, a few bombs, and my bow and quiver. Once I had crammed all I could in the drawers, I sat upon the bed again, only to jump up again. Apparently I had left an arrow on the bed. I put it away and walked over to the window. The night was dark and dreary. In the distance, I could see a torch passing through Kakariko Village, followed by a barely-audible scream. Making sure I had my sword and shield, which had never left my presence, I instinctively dashed out of the room and down the halls. Making my way out of the castle, I took Epona from the stables and rode toward Kakariko Village. Once I arrived in the town, one roof caught on fire. I saw a woman run screaming from behind the little villa. Darting to the back of the house, I saw a dark figure stab a man through the chest with his sword. Hearing my approach, he left the sword in his victim and turned, glaring at me with red eyes. I stared at his face in horror. It was me!  
  
Chapter 2 The dark figure moved closer. I blinked several times, making sure my vision was clear. "Who are you?" I asked, unable to move from terror. "I am you, and now I shall have to leave you." His voice was just like mine, only very hoarse and deep. "Who sent you?" I asked, angrier than ever. But he did not answer. Instead he drew his hand back and swept it across my face, sending me to the ground. I tried to get back up, but his heel sent me back where I started. With that, he grabbed my sword from its sheath and leaped into the air, vanishing without a trace. As I got to my feet, I heard voices coming from the entrance to the village. I walked over to my double's victim, who lay dead with the sword still in his gut. I knelt down to remove the weapon, when I heard the voices come closer. They were eleven of the king's guards, and had apparently heard the screams also. I stood and ran over to them, ready to explain what I had seen. As they came toward the back of the house, a woman followed, in tears. Just as she saw me, she screamed. "That's him! Murderer!" My eyes doubled in size when I realized I had been framed. Ganondorf knew I would try to save the man. The soldiers, two of whom happened to be Kiron and Simon, came closer. Their eyes also widened when they saw me. "Are you certain, ma'am?" Kiron couldn't believe his eyes. "Yes! He's the one who killed my husband! You evil creature!" I looked down at the blood-covered sword I had pulled from the man, swallowing hard. I began to feel weak, my stomach turning as the full brunt of the situation hit me. "I knew it! I knew you were no good the moment I set eyes on you!" Simon snarled. "You don't actually believe that I killed him, do you? I came here to save him!" Sure, that was believable. What was I going to say? Surely they wouldn't believe me if I told them my evil twin did it! "Tell it to the rats!" Simon belted. Those words didn't sound very good to me. Simon marched over toward me with two other guards following close behind. "I hereby place you under arrest in the name of the king!" he said, as the other two guards grabbed both of my arms rather tightly. "I didn't do it! He was already dead when I got here!" I yelled, squirming a bit. "Tell me, why don't I believe you, boy?" Simon commented sarcastically. "I was framed by Ganondorf!" "Sure, then why is your sword covered in that man's blood? And why do you have blood on your clothes?" I looked down to see a spot of blood on my tunic, then reached to my mouth with my fingers to find that the murderer had gotten in a good blow, though I hadn't even felt my lip split.  
  
"That's my own blood, see?" I clarified. "And this isn't my sword! I pulled it out of the guy two seconds ago!" "Then how do you explain the fact that your sheath is empty?" Simon was relentless. I finally gave up, since none of my excuses seemed to be helpful. The two guards on my sides retained their grip on my arms, and they began to lead me toward my horse at Simon's order. Before they forced me to mount Epona, thin iron manacles were attached as they drew my hands behind my back. They mounted their horses, and Simon took Epona's reins and began to lead her toward the castle. On the way, the sky grew black as rain began to fall, drenching the guards and myself. As they led me through the market, people stared and gawked at me, as they would with any convict led to the palace. While Simon's head was high the entire journey, mine hung low in a state of slight depression, my chest burning and my stomach queasy with despondency in my soul. Rain dripped from my hair and clothes as we dismounted by the front gates of the castle. "What is going on!? Release him at once!" Zelda came bursting out of the front doors of the castle. "Out of our way princess. We have a new prisoner to take care of." Simon said arrogantly. He brushed past her, grabbing me and pulling me into the doorway. I almost fell over because of the force with which he jerked me forward, in addition to the slickness of the ground from the rainfall. He led me to a long hall with a red carpet down the center and guards lining the walls. In the center of the far end of the room was a large throne, upon which sat the king, and standing next to him were a guard and his best advisor. Simon dragged me toward King Harkinian, whose eyes were as wide as Kiron's had been the entire journey. "What is the meaning of this? Why have you taken Zelda's guest prisoner? Explain yourself, Simon!" The king seemed furious and alarmed. "This boy was caught in cold-blooded murder, your majesty. I incarcerated him just after he stabbed a man with his sword." "That is a lie!" I screamed. I was running out of ideas, since none of my stories seemed very believable. Just then Zelda came running into the room, following behind all ten other soldiers. "Father, make them release him! That is no way to treat a guest!" "But it is a way to treat a murderer," Simon bellowed. "Murderer? Impossible! He's here to protect the people of Hyrule, not kill them." "I caught him red-handed in Kakariko Village, milady!" "I told you, that's a lie!" I trembled in fear as I spoke. "It was not I who killed the man, it was another!" Simon broke in again. "Sire, a witness, the man's wife, pointed him out. He is the killer." "Are you certain?" questioned the king. "Yes, sire. There were other witnesses as well." The king looked down at the marble floor in disbelief. Shaking his head very slowly, he glanced back up at me. In a very serious, low tone, almost inaudible, he spoke the words I dread. "Take him away, Simon." "No! Father, he didn't do it!" Zelda's cheeks were characterized by trains of tears flowing from her eyes. "They have witnesses, dear child. Until he can prove otherwise, he must be imprisoned by law. I'm sorry, Zelda." Zelda ran from the room in tears. Simon began to haul me from the room. "I didn't kill him," I spoke in a regular tone, more to myself than the king. "Ganondorf framed me. The whole thing was a setup!" Now it seemed that even I didn't believe my own words. It seemed as I spoke Simon pulled harder on my arm, leading me away to my sentence of probable life imprisonment. Leading me down two sets of stairs, Simon pulled me into what seemed like the dungeon of the castle. Chains hung from dark, dank walls. Bars sectioned off cells in the humid prison. Simon motioned to a guard near one temporary holding cell to open the door as he removed the iron shackles from my wrists. My gait became clumsy as he threw me into it with enough force to make me topple to the ground, which felt like slimy mold under my fingers. I turned quickly to see a barred door slam shut in my face. Standing, I went over to the wall, also barred, and leaned my head against the cold iron, grabbing two bars for balance. It was hopeless, and I withered to the ground along with my pride.  
  
Chapter 3 I awoke to the sound of distant birds chirping. The light coming from a window about forty feet up gave evidence of dawn. I scrambled to my feet to look through the bars to see if anyone else stirred. A few minutes passed, and I sank back down to the cold floor of my cell. Suddenly, I heard the dungeon door open, followed by the footsteps of two people: Zelda, then Kiron behind her. "Link, my father will hear your story now." Her expression was one of extreme melancholy, and she didn't even look at me as she spoke. Kiron opened the cell. "Come," was all he had to say. I gathered myself and followed. "I have no reason to cuff you, for I believe your innocence. Let's just hope we don't run into Simon on the way." They led me back up to the throne room once more, to be tried before the king. The king was in his usual place; to his right was Simon, with a detestable smirk across his face. Zelda took her seat to the king's left. "Sire, there are no shackles on that creature!" Simon bellowed. "Quiet, Simon! Link, explain what happened last night," said the king. My voice was much clearer now that I had had time to think of my excuse. "I was in my room looking from the windows when I saw a torch moving quickly through Kakariko Village. A scream followed, so I took my things and left the room, out of instinct, to try to save him. But by the time I got there, he was already dead." "Who killed him then?" asked Simon condescendingly. I thought a minute of how to word my response. 'Evil twin' was out of the question. "Another in my form killed the man, but before I could detain him he attacked me and then slipped away. No doubt he was created by Ganondorf to get me out of the way. I believe he may be forming an attack." "Don't change the subject boy!" Simon fussed. "Is that all, Link?" asked the king. I hesitated. "That is all I know, sire." "Very well. Simon, give your account of the incident." "Yes, sire. We arrived just as Link arose from the side of his victim with a bloody sword in hand after having pierced the man's heart." "It was not my sword!" I couldn't help but defend myself. "No interruptions! I will not tolerate it!" the king made his point, so I decided to keep my mouth shut until I was asked to speak again. "Anyhow, your majesty, it was Link's sword since his sheath was empty. There were witnesses who positively identified him as the murderer, one of them in this very castle. What more evidence do you need?" I didn't like the way this was going. Ganondorf had made sure he didn't miss any details. Then I remembered. "Ask the witness what color the killer's eyes were!" I knew that he had red, glowing eyes. I didn't. "Simon, retrieve the witness," commanded the king. This may be my way out, I thought. Simon came back with a woman in tears, the same who had accused me of killing her husband. She looked at me with furious, squinted eyes, full of hatred. "Madame, explain what the man looked like," said Simon unwaveringly. "He had the devil in his features! He wore green clothes, like the little forest people, but he was a Hylian because he was taller and had pointed ears. He had blond hair and evil eyes, and--" "What about the color of his eyes?" He asked rather abruptly. "His eyes shown red with evil, but once he had killed my husband and I came back with the soldiers, his eyes were deep blue!" Simon turned to the king. "There you have it. A perfect description of this boy before you!" "It was the man with red eyes who killed her husband, not me! When she returned he was gone and I was there! How else could you explain someone's eyes changing color?" I was beginning to believe even Zelda doubted me, for she shook her head, tears rolling down her cheeks. This made matters even worse for me. The king hesitated, obviously in disbelief. He stared at me with woeful eyes. "Link, you do know the penalty for murder, do you not?" Zelda jumped from her seat. "No! Father, you don't always have to play by the rules! Forget law! You know he is innocent, just as I know." I watched in terror as the two stared each other down. I did know what happened to convicted murderers: They were executed! "Very well, I will see to it that you are not executed, but my crown requires that you are not set free." He had a very troubled look on his face. I felt that same uneasiness come into my stomach again, that realization I so dreaded. He turned to Kiron. "Bring him to the dungeon." Both Kiron's eyes and mine grew wider than ever, his in shock and mine in fear. Simon began to follow. "Simon," the king roared," you will stay here! Haven't you caused enough trouble for one day!?" Kiron led me back to the dungeon. "I'm sorry about all this, kid. I just want you to know that I believe you. I don't know why, but for some bloody reason I just do." "Keep an eye out for Ganondorf, and protect Zelda." He quirked an eyebrow at me in wonder, probably wondering why I would tell him that. "There is more to this than just 'getting you out of the way,' isn't there?" I didn't know if I could trust him enough to answer him in truth, but he seemed to trust me. "If I tell you, will you swear yourself to secrecy?" I don't know why, but I seemed to feel that he was the most trustworthy man I had ever met. "I do swear. What is Ganondorf really up to?" "Ganondorf holds the triforce of power, Kiron. Zelda holds the triforce of wisdom." "Yes, I know this already. What about it?" "Do you have any idea who holds the triforce of courage?" "No. I once heard that it was lost with the saviour of Hyrule after he sent Ganondorf to the Dark Realm." "Kiron, I hold you to your vow." "Yes yes, I promise!" I took a deep breath. "I hold the triforce of courage, Kiron, and Ganondorf wants it more badly than ever, as well as the triforce of wisdom." His eyes doubled in size. "Oh bloody hell! Even my ancestor is younger than I am. I must be older than I thought!" He thought a minute. "Show me!" I raised the back of my hand, on which glowed the symbol of the triforce. He gawked over it, and began to recite a few choice phrases, for which he was known to do. "I'm not your ancestor. It only happened eight years ago. I defeated him when I was seventeen, went back in time, and relived my life." I stopped, and then started again. "That is until now, it seems." He looked at me with what seemed the eyes of a fascinated child. "You know, I don't know why, but for some reason I actually believe you." By the time we finished our conversation, we had reached a cell much smaller than the one I stayed in the night before. In it was a bench with chains above it for chaining the accused. He didn't find any point in making use of them, lucky for me. "I will keep an eye out, for your sake, kid." With that, he closed the barred door and left the dungeon, leaving me alone again, or so I thought.  
  
Chapter 4 Days flew by, each of which were interrupted only by one meal, usually brought by a servant. A week passed, and Kiron came down to visit me. By now I was in desperate need of a change of clothes, and perhaps a washcloth, for soot and dirt were carried in the air every second. He entered my cell, and when I didn't rise to visit him, he wondered if something was wrong. "You alright, kid? You don't look very good." True, I guess I was a bit pale, but it was probably from the humidity and darkness of the dungeon. "The servant tells me you haven't been eating much." I was a bit thin, too. Eating didn't seem to interest me that week. "What's wrong?" "What's wrong!?" I snapped, not meaning to. "I'll tell you what's wrong. I can't protect anyone but the rats down here!" "Still worrying about others before yourself, eh? You ever notice that you're in a bit of a bind, yourself?" "I'm not what matters; it's Zelda and the triforce that matters. I can't rest until I know Ganondorf can no longer hurt anyone." "Well, that explains the bloody circles under your eyes!" Kiron's attempt to cheer me up made me smile a bit. His frequent use of the word 'bloody' always seemed to amuse me. He waited a minute. "Um, I think I can get you out of here." I felt my head shoot up at his words of hope. "Of course, you will be an outlaw for the rest of your life, but better to get out and do some good instead of wait around for your death, I suppose. You know, since you don't care about yourself and all." I suddenly felt a glimmer of hope. He came closer to me, signaling to me with his finger to come within whispering distance. "I can obtain the keys and get you out of the dungeon, as well as have your horse waiting at the gates. But we must tell no one, otherwise, both you and I will be in serious danger." "Who else is to know?" I asked. "No one but the princess. She is the one who will keep the guards and her father busy." "I will not do anything to get her into trouble." After all, I was supposed to protect her, not get her arrested! "She will not be caught, I guarantee it. I will surrender before that happens." "How do you plan to do this?" "Just leave it to me. I will be back in precisely four hours. Be ready." He had begun to leave, when I remembered my things. "Kiron, will you--" "I will put your belongings on your horse." He then slipped out of the dungeon. I walked back over to the bench in my cell and fell into it, crossing my arms over my knees and putting my head down. My thoughts of the future were disturbed when I heard chains clanking against a wall opposite my cell, followed by a low, raspy voice. "Planning to escape, eh?" I squinted my eyes to try to focus my vision in the direction of the voice. A skinny man of about thirty stared at me with tiny eyes, his hands chained to the wall above his head. "What did you do, kill someone?" "No, I didn't. You don't worry about it. Just keep your mouth shut." I noticed the tone of my voice in mid-sentence, but it didn't matter to me anymore. "Are we a bit grumpy now? Take me with you and I will help you to escape." "I don't need your help." I was very aggravated. I turned around and laid down on my back, staring into the ceiling. One hour passed, followed by a second, then a third. Finally, the fourth hour approached, and I heard the sound of horses galloping outside the castle, perhaps twenty or so, followed by voices of shouting soldiers. I caught on soldier saying something about a planned invasion, and that he must hurry to the meeting hall. Apparently Zelda had called a meeting to help me escape. My concentration was broken when Kiron came breaking through the huge wooden doors of the dungeon drenched, with keys on his belt. He ran over to my cell. "All right, kid, this is it. Your horse is out front. Be quick!" My heart began to pump unusually fast as I bolted from my cell. It was pouring outside, so vision was limited. As soon as I had reached her, I jumped on Epona and tapped her sides with my heels, making a clicking noise to get her attention. The rain felt like stones, for Epona's speed increased the force with which the droplets hit me. I didn't even look back; I just rode on toward the Gerudo Fortress.  
  
Chapter 5 As I entered Gerudo Valley, I came across a small tent, owned by a carpenter and a few of his men. I approached the man, who gave me a stern greeting as I dismounted Epona. "Hello there, youngster! You look like you could use a rest! You are welcome to stay here if you like." Very appreciative, I accepted his offer and thanked him. I walked back to Epona to get my things. As I entered the small tent, three other carpenters sat around a fire inside. They greeted me, and I in turn nodded a 'hello' to them. I then proceeded to sit on a mat in the corner of the tent to go through my things, making sure everything was there (though it wasn't like I could go back to get anything!). As I went through one sack, I noticed a small note attached. It was signed Kiron: Kid, Here are a few goodies for you (you look like you really need them!). Good Luck.  
  
Kiron I opened the sack to find a small bag of biscuits and cake. I smiled when I found them, for it had been days since I had actually eaten something. I ate one of the biscuits and put the rest away, and proceeded to go through my belongings. As I searched the bags, I set aside my old hookshot, my quiver and arrows, a few bombs, and my bow and shield. Unfortunately, I didn't have my sword, since the 'evil me' took it. Everything else went into the other sack. The other carpenters noticed when I finished sorting weapons and things, and decided to make conversation. "So what is your business in the Gerudos' Fortress? I wouldn't go there if I were you! I heard that they torture men!" I thought a minute. So, history had been prevented, since the carpenters had not been captured. But why were they here? Ganondorf had not taken over Hyrule, so why would they be near the same bridge that they fixed eight years ago when he destroyed it? "I have some business to settle with an old friend." I didn't want to scare them. "What brings four carpenters to this side of Hyrule?" I asked, trying to avoid the subject of myself. "We're just finishing up a job here. You see the bridge went out a year or so ago, and we just finished it," another carpenter said. History didn't change all that much after all! The three carpenters and I chatted a little while until the head carpenter reentered the hut. That was when I decided to rest, since I knew I had a large battle ahead of me the next day. Nightfall soon gave rise to dawn. I awoke before any of the carpenters, so I decided to sneak out of the tent, so as not to awaken them. I gathered my things and mounted Epona. The morning was dusty and dry, which I preferred to dark and damp cells. However, the gloriousness of morning light seemed overwhelming. I was free to do whatever I needed to protect Hyrule from the clutches of evil. And I intended to do so. I gave Epona a kick and started for the fortress. There were fewer guards than I remembered. Perhaps Ganondorf wasn't hiding there after all. The guards also seemed easier to sneak around as I crept my way into the far left entrance. No guards paced up and down the long, narrow corridors. I found my way to the entrance of a much larger room, which was hidden from view by wooden crates, around which small rocks had been piled from traffic. I pulled myself up to see over them. In the center of the room was a chair, not very large, but too big for me. Around it stood three Gerudo guards. The chair faced opposite from me, so I could not see its occupant. Just to stir them up a bit, and perhaps to lure the occupant from the chair, I shot an arrow into the fireplace in front of the chair. The three Gerudos jumped, looking around the room to see the arrow's origin. The person in the chair did not flinch, however. I looked down to find a rock almost as big as my hand, and feeling more courageous and outgoing than ever, I tossed it at the back of the chair. This worked, for the figure stood up. I was shocked when I saw Ganondorf himself arise and walk over to the entrance where I hid. Suddenly I didn't feel quite so daring. My heart began to beat rapidly as he came closer. He stopped at the edge of the crate, staring into the entrance, then down at the crate. Without warning, he snatched the huge crate from the ground in front of me and tossed it to the other side of the room as if it weighed nothing. He stared at me with red-brown eyes, his hands on his hips. I stared back with huge, terrified eyes. To my surprise, he just shook his head, turned back toward the chair, and sat down again. I was so confused, I just walked over to him, the guards paying no mind to me. It was like he had lost his will to fight! I let him speak first. "Why do you come here? Haven't you caused me enough trouble in this lifetime?" I didn't say anything, probably from shock. Was this not the same King of Evil I fought eight years ago? He certainly looked like him! "I have no use for you here, and neither have you any use for me. Be gone." I don't believe I have ever been more perplexed in my life. Sure, I had been confused before, on occasion. But nothing like this! "Who are you trying to fool, Ganondorf? You sent that double of me to Kakariko to frame me, did you not?" I couldn't come up with anything better to say. "Double? If you think I'm going to sit here and converse with you, you are gravely mistaken. I converse with no one. Now leave!" "I know you're up to something, and I intend to find out what that something is." "Ha! You may try if you like. By the way, if you find out, make sure you let me know what it is." Did my ears deceive me? Did Ganondorf say something humorous? Now I was beginning to worry! "Ganondorf, you are still the King of Evil, right?" Once I finished my question, he let out a long, deep sigh. He then snapped his fingers in the air, and a young Gerudo came forward with a small stool. "Sit," he commanded me. Still confused, I did as he said. "I used every bit of black magic I had to get out of that Dark Realm. Therefore, I am not the king of anything. Just ruler of the Gerudos." "Then why haven't you tried to take over Hyrule again?" "Hyrule no longer interests me." That did it. Either he went soft, or I was losing my mind. "What interests you then?" His voice grew louder. "Nothing in this world interests me. Now leave me in peace." If he didn't send the 'evil me,' then who did? I decided to take a more forceful approach, something I had never done in my life. I jumped up from my stool and flung it across the room, trying to act furious. "Ganondorf, if you don't tell me what's going on, I will kill you!" I think I even surprised myself as well as Ganondorf, who stood up from his chair again. He seemed much taller than I remembered. He stood over a foot over my head, but I kept my ground, my head tilting back quite a bit to be able to see his face. Sure I'm small, but never before had anyone made me feel like a toadstool! "Boy, do you delight in tormenting me? I told you, I have no interest in Hyrule, so why would I send someone to kill you?" He stared down at me, his eyes smaller and beginning to look angry. Perhaps he didn't know, since the dark figure I had seen in the village was not sent to kill me, but an innocent man instead. Ganondorf sat down once again. I tried again. "What do you plan to do?" "Go away, kid!" was all he managed to get out, in a rather aggravated tone. "No. Either you help me out, or." I couldn't come up with anything. ".or, else!" What a formidable approach! "I told you, I know nothing of this incident in Kakariko Village." His voice was muffled a bit. I suppose he rested his head on his hand. "Well, do you know who might have done it?" I still couldn't believe I was in the same room with Ganondorf without him trying to kill me, much less talk with me! "If I tell you, will you go away?" So, he did know something after all! "Sure." He took a deep breath, and just as he was about to tell me a loud, growing thunder came from outside the fortress. Both Ganondorf and I jumped to a nearby window. I tried to get a better view, but he put his hand over my face and shoved me away, as if I were a child. I got back up and found a small area his bulk didn't cover up. A huge army was invading the fortress, but why? I had never seen this race before, though for some reason they looked very familiar. They seemed brutal. All of them looked identical, with white hair and pale skin covered in strange markings. Their features resembled the Gerudos somewhat, but their eyes glowed white and their noses seemed a bit smaller. Thousands of men on horseback charged toward the fortress with weapons of every kind, even some I was not familiar with. Ganondorf, the supposed King of Evil, darted out of the room and exited the fortress through a back hall. I followed, not knowing why. I saw him start for his horse, the same black stallion he had had years ago, so I whistled for Epona, who came to me immediately. Ganondorf began his way on horseback through several caves I had never seen before. I followed on Epona, unsure of his intentions. Was the almighty Ganondorf retreating? I tapped at Epona's sides so that I could catch up with Ganondorf. As I drew alongside him, I shouted out a question. "Who are they?" "The Oni, a vicious race of warriors and wizards," he shouted back. That name seemed awful familiar, though I couldn't quite put my finger on it. "Where are we going?" "We?? I'm going to the forest! I don't know where you're going!" He kicked his horse a few times to try to lose me. However, his horse was no match for Epona, who kept up quite well. Surely enough, the series of caves ended in the Lost Woods. He kept going for about a minute, then pulled the reins until his horse came to a halt. He dismounted near a tree and sat down at the base of it, resting his arm on his knee. I followed, leaving Epona alongside his. I stood near him until I felt comfortable enough to sit down, (though it was about six or seven feet away from him). He watched me closely as I sat down, and I returned the favor. We continued watching each other for several minutes. Ganondorf looked down at the ground and prepared to break the silence. "Why did you follow me?" "You had a direction to go in." "Why aren't you in Hyrule with your precious princess?" He seemed quite curious all of a sudden. It was as if our battle had never taken place. "I can't go back." "Why not?" He actually seemed interested in my life! How odd this situation was! "I'm an outlaw now. They think I killed someone, then I escaped from prison, and now--" "Prison! You! Hardly believable of the Hero of Time himself!" "They don't know about that. They have no recollection." "Ha!" Ganondorf began to let out one of his more familiar laughs, but this one he belted out in actual humour. His delight in my suffering reminded me of 'the old days.' "I'm glad someone finds it funny." I then remembered my unanswered question. "Who do you think is responsible for framing me? Do you think it has anything to do with those Oni?" "I'm sure it does. They have attacked my fortress before, but not with that many soldiers. Perhaps they are after the triforce, since they have obviously been after you, too." "But if they wanted the triforce, that means that they would have to get to Zelda!" I jumped up. "Calm down, kid! You can't do anything about them. If those ridiculous Hylian soldiers know anything, they'll run. The Oni have more black magic in their pinkies than I ever had." "But they know nothing of them. They won't know to run! My only sworn duty is to protect Zelda, and that's what I'm going to do." "What, are you going to fight off the entire Oni army?" He had a good point. I took my place on the ground once more. What could I do? If I tried to warn Zelda, I would be imprisoned and therefore not be able to protect her. The sun set rather soon that night. I couldn't believe I was about to spend the night with my old archrival! If I were to be arrested soon, the soldiers would have a reason now more than ever. I was taking aid from Ganondorf, the greatest outlaw of all time! It took me hours to fall asleep, unknowing of whether I could trust him or not. After nearly three hours, my eyelids grew very heavy, and the canopy of the forest turned into a black cloud of dreams.  
  
Chapter 6 I awoke at the feeling of a poking swordtip. My eyes shot open to see the same dark figure which had tricked me in Kakariko. I glanced over to where Ganondorf had been: Both he and his horse were gone. That snake! He had slithered away as I slept! My sight was drawn to the tip of a sword moving in circles around my face. My 'double' motioned with the sword for me to get up. I slowly pulled myself to my feet, during which I realized that the sword he had was my own. "What trap do you have planned for me this time?" I asked, annoyed. "You were not supposed to escape. Now you will come with me to my master." "Who is your master?" I figured if I was going to be led away or even killed, I'd like to know who was in charge of the ruin of my life. "I shall not say. You will find out sooner or later." His voice was just as raspy as before, his eyes as red, and his presence as eerie. "Well, at least tell me what his purpose is." I had to get something out of him. "You have a few things that belong to my master." "Well, can't you just take them from me here?" "It is not that simple." Ah hah! He must be after the triforce, or so I thought. Before he could make any move and without any warning at all, Ganondorf leaped from the treetops above onto the 'double.' Ganondorf stood up above the lifeless figure, wielding a bloody dagger in his hand. "I thought you had deserted me!" I was actually happy to see Ganondorf! "Don't think I'm here to help you, kid! I just didn't like the way he looked. He was too ugly." He shocked me even more when he let a faint smile peek through his rough face. "Well, thanks anyway." I picked up the sword that was rightfully mine and returned it to its sheath. "So, where do these Oni live?" "They live far outside of Hyrule, past Death Mountain. I know another set of caves that will take us directly to the other side of the mountain." He was actually helping me! I knew he would. I followed him as he mounted his horse and rode toward a set of caves to the east. We rode on for hours through the caverns, lit up by small holes in the roof. However, after about thirty minutes, the caves became unusually dark. Even Ganondorf seemed to become worried. "This doesn't look right." "What, did you take us the wrong way?" I said, doubting him. "No! This is the way, but something isn't right." Is it just me, or did his sentence not make much sense at all? Actually, his whole presence didn't make sense! Suddenly and out of nowhere, three formidably large iron knuckles blocked our path. We brought our horses to a stop. I jumped down from Epona and pulled out my sword and shield on instinct, though Ganondorf just studied them for a moment. All three then simultaneously picked up their axes and charged head on toward us. Ganondorf jumped from his horse, his foot coming into crushing contact with one iron knuckle's head. I took on the other two. One charged at me, swinging his axe horizontally so that I could only jump back, for it was too high for me to jump and too low for me to duck. Then the other came from behind me, swinging vertically. It was all a matter of dodging blows. I sank my sword into the first iron knuckle when it raised its axe into the air for a slash attack. Unfortunately, my sword became lodged into its metal armor, and I was unable to loosen it. I turned my head quickly to see the position of the other, though in very bad timing. He had just released a horizontal slice, and luckily for me it was not close enough to cut my head in two. It did however graze my cheek. I touched the side of my face with my left hand and brought it back down again, only to see that the incredibly sharp axe had, in fact, come into contact. Thinking nothing of it, I threw my shield to the ground and began circling the iron knuckle, my bow in hand. As he took a swing, I shot an arrow directly into his face and he fell, shaking the ground. I turned to see what had become of Ganondorf. He was still alive, though I didn't know if that was fortunate or not. I pulled another arrow from my quiver and shot it at the last iron knuckle, who also fell, lifeless. Ganondorf turned toward me with a furious look in his eyes. "I could have finished him! Don't ever finish my battles for me!" "Sorry." I actually thought it was funny, though he found it somehow offensive. I was actually a bit jealous too, since he showed no hits on him. He walked over to his horse and mounted it. I walked back over to the first iron knuckle and tugged at my sword, but it wouldn't come loose. As I struggled over it, I heard a deep chuckle behind me. I turned around and Ganondorf was standing right behind me. It startled me a bit, sending me to the floor in surprise. "Ha! You weakling!" He walked over to the sword, and with almost no effort pulled it from the enemy's armor. He handed it to me and remounted his horse. I suppose I may have turned a bit red and gave a small, embarrassed smile. I put the sword in my sheath and mounted Epona, following Ganondorf's lead. We began again toward the end of the caves, our horses trotting side by side. Ganondorf glanced in my direction, noticing the cut on the side of my face. "Couldn't stay clean, eh?" I covered my cheek with my hand, glancing from the corner of my eye at him, and then ignored him, which in turn made him laugh. Instead, my thoughts went to the iron knuckles. Where did they come from? My guess was that they were sent to detain us by the Oni. They had seemed much different from those I had fought in Hyrule and Termina. They had much lighter colored armor, and seemed much larger and more skilled. They fought together, not separately.  
  
Chapter 7 Finally, after hours of riding, we saw light near the end of the caves. We emerged from the tunnels, only to see a most extraordinary sight. Towers made of what seemed ivory glistened hundreds of feet in the air above a colossal metropolis. It also seemed that the sky shone more brightly than ever, as if this were the greatest city in the world. "How do you plan to get in?" asked Ganondorf. "Me? You're coming with me!" I wasn't about to let him sneak out of this. "You still need a way to get inside!" I thought a minute. I jumped off of my horse and began going through my things, throwing any useless items behind me. "What are you doing now? You're making a mess!" I kept searching. There had to be something. I went through the first sack until I got to the mask at the bottom. I pulled it out and held it over my shoulder, about to throw it, but froze in mid-action. That was it! The Fierce Deity Mask turned me into Oni Link! I could disguise myself as an Oni! I stopped going through my things and walked toward the city. "What are you going to do with a mask? Surely you're not going to try to sell another one of those ridiculous Happy Masks! "No, this is a magical mask. You'll see!" I closed my eyes, put on the mask, and began to transform. It had been almost eight years since I had worn it. It had always produced a strange feeling, though. My blood seemed as if it raced faster and warmer than ever, and my body stung a bit, but it didn't hurt much. The pricking feeling stopped after a moment, and I opened my eyes to see Ganondorf's mouth wide open in shock. He dismounted and walked over to me, speechless. I was only about eight inches shorter than him now! "What?" I asked as he stared. He cleared his throat. "How is that going to help you get into the city?" "I've disguised myself as one of them. Trust me, it'll work." I continued to walk toward the city. I heard a horse come up behind me, and I assumed it was Ganondorf. I turned around just as a white horse blazed past me, just missing me when I jumped out of the way. Upon it was a female Oni, who was fixed on getting to the castle in quite a hurry. Apparently, the people of this species had no respect for each other. She was quite beautiful, from what small glimpse I got of her. I regained my stance and headed for the city once again, when I heard another horse approaching. I turned around full speed, my hand on the grip of my sword.  
  
"Cool it, kid!" This time it was only Ganondorf. "Ganondorf, why are you following me?" I asked, rather annoyed. "Do you think you're the only one that wants payback against these Oni? They have something of mine." So that's why he was helping me. He needed me to get back something for him! It was then that my trust in him began to dissipate. "So that's it. You need my help, don't you!?" "No, I came here to get it myself. You're the one who followed me!" Who was he trying to fool? "Well, what is it that you need from them?" I figured he had helped me, so I had no choice but to help him out of decency. "You wouldn't understand." He was really beginning to annoy me now. "Just tell me, Ganondorf!" He looked at me fiercely. "I need one of their scepters." "What for?" I knew that the scepters held magic, but I didn't know if that was a good idea. "So I can get my magic back," he answered quite coolly. "No way. You'll just attack Hyrule again." "No I won't. I swear!" "Why should I believe you?" He paused for a moment, then continued. "Because I helped you get here, so you are going to help me. I won't touch Hyrule, or your precious princess! You have my word." I assumed his word was just as good as anyone else's and walked on. In the distance I could see a large group of Oni on horseback. Every horse was either black or white, though it didn't make much sense to me. This gave me an idea. "Ganondorf, give me your horse." "Have you completely lost your mind?" he fussed in a rather loud voice, his brow covering up almost half of each eye. "Just do it. If you want a scepter, you'll do what I say." He obeyed and released his horse toward me. It stopped just in front of me. "By the way, what's its name?" "Phantom," Ganondorf replied. How befitting of the horse of the once dark lord of the Gerudos! It was much larger than Epona. As I began to mount, Ganondorf looked at my hand, then down at his. He ripped a piece of material from his cape. "Kid!" I turned around to see what he wanted. He looked at me, pointing to his glove on which the triforce symbol was marked. I looked down at mine, realizing that it was not a good thing to show off at this particular juncture. He threw me a strip of the material and we each wrapped one around our hand so that an Oni wouldn't recognize the symbol. "Stay here. I'll get whatever it was that you wanted." "You can't even remember what it was that I wanted, much less get it! What are you going to do once you get in there, anyway?" "See what they're up to." With that, I disappeared from Ganondorf's site on Phantom. The city seemed even more beautiful from within. I seemed to fit in just fine, since no one tried to stop me on the way. Passing down one street, I caught a glimpse of the Oni who had tried to run over me. I brought Phantom to a trot to try to catch up with it, and followed the woman to the largest structure in the entire conurbation. As I caught up, I got a better view of her (or at least the back of her!). She had long, flowing white hair, and she wore clothes much like the Gerudo guards, except it was white, black, and navy. She dismounted her horse and dashed into the building edifice. I followed, though not quite as hurriedly. An Oni stopped me on the way, but let me pass after I said I had an appointment with the management. The inside of the building was just as grand as the outside, with sparkling white walls. Almost all of the furnishings were made of pure silver, from the tables and candlesticks to the window frames! I saw the girl run up the stairs to the left and followed. After passing through several passageways, she entered a small door and closed it behind her. I crept up to the door and listened. "Princess Urehla! Were you followed?" I heard a man say. So, the woman was a princess, eh? "No. But the invasion was unsuccessful." Urehla replied. "Unsuccessful! What about the spies in Hyrule Castle?" asked the man. My eyes widened as I pressed my ear closer to the door. "They found the holder of the second triforce." They had found Zelda! I listened more. "We plan to invade in three days." "And the third? Where is it?" I assumed they talked about me. "The boy escaped the double you created. I told you that thing was worthless. All it did was startle him a bit, so now he's going to come looking for us!" "He will never find our city. I have sent pictures of him to all of the guards and soldiers, and I have a warrior coming any minute who is to be rid of him. Besides, I have already properly disposed of that look- alike creature." I heard the man throw his fist down on a table as he spoke. "Well, whatever. I still have no triforce. I am beginning to doubt your confidence," the girl said in a more harsh tone. I leaned a little closer, balancing myself with my hands on the silver door and foolishly putting most of my weight on the door. I waited. No one spoke. Suddenly, the door rushed open, probably as the Oni woman was about to leave. I clumsily tumbled into the doorway, slamming headfirst into his desk. Jumping to my feet, I looked at the man, trembling. "You sent for me?" I pretended to be the warrior he spoke of, though I didn't think it would actually work. "Ah, yes! You must be the warrior I sent for. Please, sit." I couldn't believe he actually fell for it! I sat down and looked him over. This man looked strange. His hair was long, bundled up into a mass behind his head. He was extraordinarily muscular and very intimidating, but his facial expressions said otherwise. "Did you find anything?" I looked at him for a while, trying to come up with something intelligent to say. "Nothing yet, sir." Pure genius if you ask me! "Fine. Come back here when you actually have something." I left the room rather hastily, glad I wasn't caught. So, they were after the triforce, eh? I wasn't going to let them get it. I stormed out of the building and around a corner, searching for Phantom, when an apparent guard stuck his foot out and tripped me. I fell face first into the dirt. "What is your business here?" he commanded. Actually, I didn't know I was going anywhere of importance. "Uh," was all I could get out. "Men, search him. There is something familiar about this man." Five more guards came out from behind him, dressed identically. I became very nervous as one stared into my face. It would be impossible for them to tell I was wearing a mask unless they figured out how to get it off of me. After they had thoroughly searched me for whatever it was they were searching for, the man walked closer. "What is your business here?" he asked me once more. All I could do was stupidly roll my eyes at him, forgetting the fact that these were a very brutal people. I felt his wrath as his hand collided with the side of my face, which unfortunately had enough force to both send the mask flying from me and to send me to the ground. As the mask came off, it felt as if pins were flying from me instead of into me. I sat up and turned around quickly. "Get him! It's the boy with the triforce!" I jumped to my feet, swiped the mask from his feet, and ran as fast as I could while shoving the mask in my tunic. They were much faster than I was, but I kept going, turning back every couple of seconds to see them gaining. While I was looking back, something caught me head on in the stomach, practically knocking the breath from me and carrying me backwards. I was then flung onto the back of Phantom by Ganondorf's huge arm, and he turned the horse around swiftly, just able to miss the guards. I could hear shouts as the guards went out of hearing range. "How did you get your horse?" I asked once I regained my breath. "Don't worry about it." It was then that I realized that Ganondorf had actually saved my life, contrary to what he would have done eight years ago. "I can't believe you just saved my life! You really have gone soft, haven't you!?" As I finished, Ganondorf pulled the reins hard, sending me into his back as the horse came to a full stop. "If that's what you think, then I'll kill you right now!" Suddenly he sounded more like himself, and for some reason I preferred it that way. After several seconds of silence, Ganondorf brought his horse back to a steady gallop. I waited a minute. "Then why did you do it?" "Because, you were supposed to have my staff!" "Oops! Sorry. I forgot," I apologized, though I hadn't looked for it on purpose just in case he was thinking of terrorizing any other countries and townsfolk. Once we reached my horse, Ganondorf didn't bother to slow down, much less stop. I was forced to jump from Phantom to Epona. Though I landed hard on her back, she didn't flinch. I grabbed her reins and steered her in Ganondorf's direction, following him back into the cave.  
  
Chapter 8 I caught up to Ganondorf so that I could hear his response. "Why are you taking us back into the caves?" He looked at me strangely. "So that we can get out of their range." We stopped just at the entrance of the caves and dismounted. "Now, what happened?" he asked. "Well, I found out why they've been after us. They are looking for the triforce, but not all of them. Their princess, Urehla, is looking for it." "But why?" Ganondorf actually seemed concerned. "I didn't catch that part. Anyway, that was why they attacked your fortress, why they sent that 'evil double' of me, and why--" then I remembered the plans of attack, "Zelda!! I have to get to her!" I was ready to jump onto my horse when Ganondorf's strong arm stopped me. "Whoa, slow down. You're an outlaw, remember? Now, what about her?" "The Oni are going to attack the castle in three days!" "Then you'd better stop this Oni princess before then." He turned and sat on a boulder near the opening. "Until then, leave me alone. After all, I've helped you out a lot so far and you couldn't even get me the staff I wanted!" He turned around on the stone and stared at the ground, never looking up for an instant. I thought to myself, feeling bad about the scepter. I did owe him, as much as I hated to admit it. I then took it upon myself to get the scepter out of appreciation, but only if he swore never to use it for evil. Goddesses, I was so naïve! I sneaked into the city in my own Hylian form so that I could move more freely, since I was obviously more used to being a Hylian's height than an Oni's. As I moved past a large, smooth structure, I spotted a guard, in whose hand rested a staff nearly a foot taller than him. Now I had to come up with a plan to get it. I crept up to the guard's back, and all in one instant I jumped up onto his back, cleverly wrapping my arm around his throat. He dropped almost instantly, and before the staff crashed into the ground I swiped it from mid air. Luckily, no one had seen me, and I was able to exit just as easily as I had entered. It amazed me how easy it was! I ran all the way back to the entrance of the cave, thrilled at how sly I was. When I reached the caves, neither Ganondorf nor his horse were there. I looked around, confused. Suddenly, I was thrown forward into a cave wall from behind. Unfortunately I lost my grip on the scepter as I crashed into the rocky wall. Regaining my stance, I quickly turned to see my assailant. My eyes grew wide in shock when I saw Ganondorf snatch the scepter from the ground and jump onto his horse, which was waiting behind him. As he began to ride off, I could hear him shout something to me: "I'll give your regards to the princess!" In total disbelief, I ran to Epona and jumped on in almost one motion and pursued Ganondorf closely. Though Phantom was very quick, Epona was much swifter. As I gained on him, I drew my sword. I drew closer, closer. He was only about a meter in front of me when he suddenly drew his horse to a complete stop and extended the scepter directly in front of me. This caught me totally by surprise. Though I tried to stop as quickly, I was not quick enough. The staff caught me square in the chest, and as Epona rode on a few meters I fell to the ground onto my back. Furiously jumping up to my feet, I grabbed his ankle and flung him from his horse with strength I didn't know I had. Almost instantly he was back on his feet, swinging at me with the staff and just missing each time. "You can't stop me. I have more magic than you could ever deflect!" His tone was much hoarser than before. This was the Ganondorf I remembered. I thought for a moment, thought about how stupid I was to retrieve the scepter. Ganondorf held the scepter in the air above his head. A glowing ball of energy began to develop around the marble sphere at the top of the scepter. It didn't take me long to figure out the energy ball's destination. As fast as I could, I reached for my shield and was barely able to position it between myself and the energy ball. However, unlike Ganondorf's previous magic, the ball had enough energy to throw me nearly ten feet backwards into the air. I got back to my feet as fast as I could, only to be bombarded by several more attacks, each of which I dodged barely in time. After a moment, Ganondorf paused and stared me down with his evil red eyes. This situation seemed much more real than all of the others I had spent in his company. I was used to this, though not the intensity with which he fought now. He pointed his staff at me and began to charge a much larger, more powerfully concentrated ball of energy. Static sparked all around it as it grew to about twenty-five inches in diameter. I knew my shield would never be able to deflect something of that magnitude. For the first time, I didn't know what to do. Gathering up all the courage I could muster, I lunged at Ganondorf with my sword, hoping to knock him off balance and therefore avoid his magic attacks, but my sword did not penetrate his armor. I attacked again only to be thrown to the ground with his hand. Ganondorf was much stronger now. Somehow he was conducting energy from the scepter. I got up and stared him down, all the while the energy ball had been waiting. Finally he released it, and the shock tore my shield apart while throwing me into a tree about twenty feet behind me and my sword out of reach. Ganondorf chuckled to himself as I strained to rise from the ground feeling as if I had been struck by lightening. Gathering all the energy I could afford, I charged at him again, this time grabbing his dagger from his boot and slashing at him. I got in a couple of good hits until his fist came down on my back, sending me to the ground once again. Before I could rise, he kicked at my side several times, though not hard enough to crack my ribs, only hard enough to cause severe pain. As soon as he paused I kicked up at him from the ground, catching him in the abdomen. Unfortunately for me this only angered him, causing him to kick at me again. "Do you really think you can defeat me as I am now? Your puny effort is no match for this scepter!" True, the staff's magic was undeterrable. But was the staff itself fragile in any way? He held up his new weapon for a final blow when I threw the dagger into the ground and jumped up, grabbing the scepter from him and smashing the delicate marble top into the rocky ground. "You imbecile!" he screamed. I decided to use his unarmed status to my advantage, swinging at him with the broken scepter. Its rough edge caught him squarely in the jaw, leaving a satisfactory scratch. However, and again to my disadvantage, it angered him even more, and he began to swing at me with both fists, mostly missing. I will admit that he did get a few good hits though, mostly resulting in a black left eye. I was doing fairly well until he landed a strong hit with his foot into my chest, sending me backwards to the ground. He then jumped on me and, relentless, began punching and flailing his arms at me repeatedly. Trying to find a way out, I caught sight of the dagger an arm's length away. Blocking with my left hand, I reached with my right for the dagger, which was just out of reach of my fingertips. I strained to reach for it, until Ganondorf finally realized what I was doing. Looking up from me, he noticed the small knife on the ground. I used this break to push myself toward it in a singular motion. Once I had grasped it and pointed it at him, Ganondorf caught my wrist and pinned it to the ground. No matter how hard I tried, I could not lift my arm from the ground. "Nice try, kid. Now stop fussing and give me the dagger!" Ganondorf used his massive hand to attempt to turn the knife while it was still in my hand, thus pointing it at me. I pushed the knife away from myself with all my might, but it's exceptionally sharp point kept getting closer and closer to my throat. Sweat poured from my forehead, though Ganondorf didn't seem to be putting forth much effort. In a hopeless attempt, I brought my knee up into his stomach, which eased the force coming from his arm a little. Slowly, the dagger began to secede from my neck, that is until Ganondorf regained his grip. Closer and closer the knife got to my throat again, until I could feel its point lightly touching my throat. Suddenly, an arrow hit the ground right next to us, causing Ganondorf to look up. This was my chance, I thought, and I put most of my remaining energy into a blow to his face, sending him onto the ground. I jumped up with the dagger in hand and threw it into him, as if he was butter. It killed him instantly, almost too easily. I had finally sent him somewhere he could never come back from. After wiping off the blade and hiding it in my boot, I suddenly felt a strange sensation on my left hand and, looking down, noticed a new triangle appear. The triforce of power had somehow transferred from Ganondorf to me. Remembering the arrow, I jumped to my feet and looked around for its origin. I was not able to find the arrow's sender fast enough, and another arrow flew down from the treetops directly into my chest. The excruciating pain with which it brought was incomparable to anything I had ever experienced: The tip of the arrow had obviously been poisoned. All dissipated into a blanket of darkness.  
  
Chapter 9 I awoke to find myself upon a most unusual bed, my arms and legs strapped down. I tried to raise my hands, but almost all movement was limited. I heard men outside talking. "He has both triforces, sir," said one older voice. "Good. That should make the procedures easier," a young woman's voice proclaimed. Her voice seemed familiar to me, but I wasn't certain who she was until she entered. A middle-aged Oni man came into the small white-marbled room, followed by Princess Urehla. As they walked over to me, Urehla pulled out a tiny blade only about three inches in length, with which I had no idea what she would do. She walked to my side, put the knife to my throat, and spoke to me in a harsh tone. "How did you get it?" "How did I get what?" was my response. I had taken to playing dumb. "Don't play stupid with me, boy. The triforce of power, how did you get it?" "Maybe I'll tell you if you let me go." I really didn't expect that to work. "Fine. Jeocrome, release him." He released me and I jumped from the bed, only to find that there were at least twenty guards in the room. I stood on the opposite side of the bed from Urehla for a somewhat limited sense of protection. "Now, tell me," she said as she pointed the little knife at me. I was beginning to get tired of seeing knives. "I killed.," I stuttered a bit, as I hated using that word, ".I killed Ganondorf, and it just sort of appeared there." I held up my hand to prove it. I knew they were after the triforce, and my possession of two pieces would only make it easier for them to acquire all three. She looked hard at me. "Ah, good. So, tell me, does one have to kill another in order to obtain the triforce?" I watched as her grip on the blade tightened. I swallowed hard, understanding what I must do. I had to get out of there as quickly as possible, for if they killed me, there would be no way of protecting Zelda. I then got a fairly clever idea. "I'll make you a deal, Princess. You duel with me, and if you win, you'll obviously get the triforce, but if I win, the Oni must stay away from Hyrule." She thought for a moment. A smirk slowly spread across her face. "Humour me, boy. Do you actually think you can defeat the greatest swordswoman in Achenne City?" I then regretted my statement for a moment, but soon regained my confidence. "Yes, as a matter of fact I do." "Then it will be so!" She put away the knife and walked over to me. Grabbing my arm, she led me to a large room, probably intended for guests. However, bars covered every window, and guards were posted at every door. "You will be staying here until our little duel. It shall be held in the public square in the center of the city tomorrow at noon. Until then, I would enjoy having a few talks with you when I have time." With that she slammed the giant silver doors behind her. Why did she want to 'have a few talks' with me? I sat down on a satisfactorily soft bed and waited for time to pass by. A few hours passed, and Urehla entered the room once more, this time carrying a sword. "This is for you to practice with and to use in our upcoming swordfight. It is a magnificent blade, one with which I am sure you are accustomed to using." True, the sword looked much like the Master Sword, though much stronger and magnificently built, with jewels trimming the handle. I didn't know whether to thank her, for this may have been a good thing or a bad thing to receive from one's enemy. "Come walk with me, I will show you the city. I trust you will not try to escape being the lives of your dear princess Zelda and yourself are at stake." Without much choice in the matter, I sheathed the sword and followed her out of the building, which turned out to be the largest ivory tower in the palace of Achenne City. Urehla led me through the streets, where she was greeted by every passerby and I was given scornful looks by each. Occasionally she would give the passerbies an angered glance in order to stop them from sneering at me. I had no idea why she was being nice to me, especially since her original intent was to kill me. "Come, I will show you the public square." She pulled me toward the center of the city. After turning a few corners, the passages opened into a colossal plaza, which was entirely empty save a few market stands on the outskirts and a large stage in the very center. Urehla dragged me onto the stage and stopped in the middle. "This is where we will duel. Would you like to practice?" "Sure." Nothing could have been better news to my ears. I would use this opportunity to find her weak points, that is if she had any. We both drew swords, hers being the typical, oversized, double-edged sword that all Oni used, as well as I did when I used the Fierce Deity Mask. "No shields, and no full swings. If one of us draws the other's blood today, they forfeit the duel. Deal?" She held out her hand and waited for my approval. "Deal." I shook hands with her and we each stepped back. She jabbed at me with her huge sword, and using mine to block I swung back at her head. She countered with a slice at my stomach. Swings and blocks were exchanged for some time before she knocked the sword from my hand and held up her sword to my throat with a satisfied smile on her face. "Again?" "Sure." We began again, but she had soon kicked me to the ground and once again held the blade to my throat. Time after time she won, until about the eighth round. Bursting with energy, I used all of my might to knock the sword from her hands into the ground. She began to flip backwards until she came across a wall and backed into it. I approached her and, pointing my sword at her and breathing heavily, I felt a tiny smile edge its way out. "Well fought, boy. By the way, what is your name? I don't think I caught it." "Link." "Alright, Link. Will you join me for dinner?" Her friendliness was becoming questionable. "First answer a question." "Sure," she replied lightheartedly. "If your intentions are to kill me, then why be so nice?" She looked at me gravely. "Would you rather me lock you up in a dungeon or something? I will if it would please you." "No! It's just that--" "Just that you are not used to hospitality before death?" I really didn't like the sound of that. "Not used to hospitality from someone who wants to kill me," I corrected. Then I remembered Ganondorf. "Well, not entirely used to it." "Besides, I kind of like you, kid! You're only problem is that you're a bit short, but that can be overcome." Whoa! Was she coming on to me?? She was beginning to remind me of Princess Ruto in a scary kind of way. I could feel the distance between us increase as we walked back to the palace.  
  
Chapter 10 After a magnificent feast in the palace, during which I was scoffed for being in their public, Urehla led me back to the guest quarters she had shown me once before. "Tomorrow is the duel, you know," she reminded me. "Shall we make another deal?" "Another one?" I was unsure of what she had up her sleeve this time. "I will make you an offer you cannot refuse! I can cancel our little duel as well as promise that the Oni will never make an attack on Hyrule. You only have to do a tiny little thing for me in return." I knew it had to be too good to be true. With a long breath, I questioned her intentions. "What is it you want now?" "You must stay in Achenne City with me, and you must never leave!" Though I really prefer peaceful agreements, this was too much. "Are you insane!? I would rather duel than stay here!" I suppose my response was a bit eccentric, but who could blame me? "Why not, boy? You could wear your little mask and no one would know the difference!" Her face gained a bit of sadness, though it seemed that over the span of a few seconds the sadness turned into red fury. "Fine! There will be a duel, then. I'll see you tomorrow, high noon!" With that she slammed the door behind her, shaking the entire room. One thing I had discovered about the Oni was her incredibly hot temper. Actually, I was certain all Oni had the same irritability that Urehla had. However, I was tolerant of the idea of a duel with her tomorrow. After all, I had finally found the Oni woman's weak points in our practice match that day. The night passed by somewhat quickly, and sooner than I thought day had come. That morning Jeocrome, whom accompanied Urehla to the bed room in which I was affixed to a bed, disturbed my deep slumber. His face, just as before, seemed a bit kinder than those of the other Oni and vaguely familiar, though it was marked with the typical blue and red Oni features. "Hey, kid! Get your bloody self up and get ready for your duel." Startled a bit, I jumped from the bed. The Oni man then pulled from his side a fresh tunic. "Here," he presented me with the tunic. It also happened to be mine, which I noticed as I took it from him. I looked back up to question where he had acquired it, but he was already on his way out. I looked back down in surprise. Indeed, the tunic was mine, but I had left it in the palace. Then an idea crossed my mind, and in its impossibility it seemed obvious. That was no Oni! I threw on the tunic and raced down the hallways in search of the man and saw him at last leaving through the massive silver entrance. I ran down the spiral stairs and out of the same doors, and just before catching up to him, two Oni seized me in mid-step. "Ah! You must be Link!" exclaimed one of them. "It is almost time for the show, boy! Time for you to make a fool of yourself!" poked the other. In an almost friendly way, they dragged me to the center stage of the public square, where Urehla awaited my arrival on a large chair. I approached the princess, who wore long, glistening robes, her hair flowing freely in the breeze. "How can you fight in that?" I asked. "I can't." She just gave me a blank stare. "Look! It's almost time for the battle to begin!" Her attention strayed beyond the crowd in the direction of a tall figure approaching the stage, pushing his way through the mass. I glanced behind me to see the figure, squinting my eyes in the glaring light, which in turn reflected from the white buildings creating a blinding gleam in my eyes so that I could barely make out movement in the crowd. The man approached the stage. "This will be your opponent, Link." In disbelief, I looked back at her in surprise and then directed my focus on my new enemy. He came closer and approached the stage upon which I stood on the opposite side. The closer he came, the more horrified I grew. I could have beaten Urehla, but I highly doubted my success in battle with myself in Oni form!  
  
Chapter 11 Urehla stood up and addressed the audience, which had grown to thousands of Oni. "As you all know by now, recently we have perfected the art of human replication. However, just the other day Oni scientists finalized yet another experimental form: Replicating one species in another. Therefore, I now introduce the Hylian's combatant, a replica of the Hylian in Oni form, and a most formidable enemy!" The crowd began to scream and cheer for this repulsive counterfeit warrior. He pulled out his sword, in almost the exact way that I would have. He was over one and a half feet taller than me, which could be a good thing for tactical rolling but a bad thing for tactical flips. "Remember the rules: No shields, no spare weapons. Just the swords with which you came equipped. And if you step out of bounds, there will be a penalty. Now, let the battle begin!" Instantly the clone charged at me, swinging his double-edged sword at me so that I could only back off. During a break and just before I nearly fell off the platform, I rolled underneath the phony competitor. I came up behind him, but just as I was about to release a jab at his unprotected back, he swung his huge sword behind him. Luckily I reacted just in time before the sword would have sliced my head in two. I heard loud emissions and inhalations of breath from the crowd all around me. A heated series of slashes and checks came thereafter between us, which seemed to cause commotion in the crowd such as awe and rapid inhalations between hits. Every few seconds the series would stop, and we would stare at each other, attempting to predict each other's next move. Finally, I ended the repetitiond of sets of swings by punching my foe in the nose just before he completed a diagonal swing. He stumbled backwards, without losing his balance, and countered by punching me across the cheekbone, which left quite a nasty bruise. Coming at me again with his fist, I raised my sword, causing him to lose the pace of the fight momentarily so that I could stab at his arm, though it didn't have much effect because of his thick armor. All that it left was a paltry flesh wound. Angered, as most of my enemies typically became, he released a fury of swings in my direction, again forcing me back. My heel edged over the corner of the stage, making me almost fall off. Some spectators pushed me back onto the stage toward my combatant, forcing me to roll underneath him again, though this time the edge of his sword caught my right arm, leaving a small gash. Luckily I am left-handed, and therefore this small injury didn't put me in a dilemma. Just before I was able to regain my stance, my enemy released a vertical chop, but I was able to block it with my own sword. Again a series of swings began. Suddenly, a voice could be heard above the sounds of swords clashing and the crowd's gasps. "Stop, stop! Obviously the boy's talents match those of my creation. Swordplay will never accomplish anything. Combatants, drop your swords and fight like men without hiding behind your weapons." Urehla's voice was very clear. The crowd let out another timely gasp at this order. However, I was trained in the ways of the sword, not my own hands. This clone was much larger than I, and his strenght greater. At Urehla's voice, he threw his sword down and charged at me again, this time with his fists swinging. I threw my sword down to avoid penalty, of which I knew not the exact punishment, and dodged his rage. Building up my courage, I swung at him, making contact with his chest and head a few times. He drew back a few feet and stared at me, his eyes narrow with hatred. I wondered to myself if these clones the Oni made had feelings other than hatred. Distracted with these thoughts, I was suddenly thrown back with a punch again to my face. Once again coming to awareness of my situation, I jumped back up to counter another series of attacks. Catching me off guard in mid-swing, the Oni double began to release several swings in my direction. Again and again I fell backwards until he was literally on top of me, still frantically swinging at me. I was beginning to feel numbness take over my body. Finally he stopped for a moment to observe his effect: a broken down warrior covered in blood and contusion and gasping for breath. Satisfied, he walked over to the other side of the platform. He picked up both swords from the floor and returned. First, he threw my sword down next to me as if to show that he had overcome me. He then drew his sword above his head in the air, ready to plunge it into me. I was exhausted with little or no energy left to defy him, but, remembering my mission, I grabbed my sword and thrusted it forward in just time, sinking its sharp blade deep into my enemy. Freezing in his position, he doubled over and fell to the ground, shaking the platform on contact. Urehla jumped up, and jaws dropped among the crowd. "No! This was not supposed to happen! He was supposed to defeat you!" Her tone showed disgust and disappointment in her creation, as well as disgust for me. She turned toward me and gave me an evil glare of hatred. Once again, I felt right at home. "How dare you destroy my creation! Guards, take him a--" "Oh, no you don't!" I cut her off. "We had a deal!" It hurt to speak, and used double the breath that speaking usually required. "Deal or no deal, you should know by now that Oni are not accountable for peace! Besides, you cheated. You were not supposed to use your sword!" Finally peeved, I lunged at her with a fury I had never felt before, only to be detained before I could actually do any damage. "Ha! Since when did you grow a liver, boy?!" I felt my teeth grit as she spoke. I grew tired of her wicked sense of humour. The guards then began to laugh, and also to be distracted. Wriggling free of the guards' grasp, I ran as fast as I could from the city. The Oni were in hot pursuit, but I somehow kept my distance. As I approached to outskirts of the city, I whistled as loud as I could, which was followed by the whinnies of my only true friend. Catching up to me, Epona trotted along side me until I grabbed onto her mane. Sweeping me up with a jolt of her head, as she was a very intelligent beast, she increased her speed until the Oni were out of sight. As we approached the caves, I drew a bomb from a bag on Epona's saddle and lit the fuse. The other end of the tunnel became clearer, and I threw the bomb down so that it exploded near the end, collapsing the cave entrance and thereby preventing travel between Achenne City and Hyrule. Now I could finally complete my mission.  
  
Chapter 12 Still covered in battle wounds, I rode toward the castle of Hyrule. The bleeding had stopped, but every part of me still hurt fairly badly. My right arm seared in pain from the injury caused by the Oni's sword. It was unlike any other sword-wound I had ever experienced. Ignoring the pain, I rode on, hoping I was not too late. I now knew that Kiron was the spy that the Oni talked about, and I knew what I had to do. After nearly five hours of traveling full speed, we reached Hyrule Field. I haulted Epona so she could rest, but I continued on foot. After all, I had gone for weeks at a time without sleep, a feat accomplished by few. Another hour passed, and , after traveling in the pouring rain, I was finally at the drawbridge of the castle's outer wall. I knew I could not enter as I was, for I was a wanted man in this place, so I decided to scale the outer wall. The massive stones were worn away with age, thereby creating niches for me to use as footholds. I climbed for about fifteen minutes before I reached the top, every few minutes slipping on the wet bricks. Pulling myself up, I glared down at the market square. It was nearly empty, with the exception of a dark, hooded figure approaching the castle from the outer gates, seemingly to get out of the rain. I leaped with great stealth from roof to roof in pursuit of the dark one. I followed him all the way to the castle gate, in which he entered as if he had some power there. Following him closely, I proceeded to sneak into the castle, something I was not unfamiliar with. After entering the castle, I watched as the hooded figure removed his cloak, revealing Kiron's fake Hylian appearance. I then saw him dart up the stairs, as if in a hurry to reveal some incredible news. I silently followed him, until he entered the king's chambers. I leaned against the door and listened. "Your majesty, I just learned the most remarkable thing!" "What is it my good man?" replied the king. "I just heard that that madman, Link, has just been seen terrorizing a nearby town. He also killed two more people!" I wanted to enter that room and protest, but I knew that was impossible. Sure I killed two people, but it was only in self defense and for the protection of the princess! "Are you certain these stories are true, Kiron?" The king was not easy to persuade, but Kiron was good at lying. "Yes, sire." "Then what do you suggest we do?" "I suggest we find him and eliminate him as soon as possible! For all we know he could be in Hyrule already!" "Hyrule?! Is this his destination?" "Yes, sire. He was spotted on the outskirts of Hyrule Field hours ago. Shall I send my troops after him?" The king pondered for a moment, as only silence was heard. "Fine. Do not harm him, as we do not want to upset the princess. Just place him in a cell for now until we can try him." "But sire! He is murderous!" Kiron hissed. "That will be all, Kiron. Take Simon with you." The king did not like being argued with, no matter by whom. "Yes, your majesty," Kiron sneered. I then heard footsteps approaching the door, and immediately looked for a place to hide, something I was growing used to. A small table stood nearby, so I darted across the hall to its other side and waited. Kiron emerged from the chambers and left the hallway for the Royal Guard outside the palace. I followed him until he was outside, then made my attack. Before he knew what was going on, I had him pinned to the ground with my, rather Ganondorf's, dagger at his throat. "What is the meaning of this, kid!?" "Don't play stupid with me, Kiron. You are the Oni spy, and you are the last." "You've lost your wit!" he spat at me. But I knew he was the spy, there was no other. "You can play dumb all you want, but it will not restore your life." With that I raised the knife in the air, ready to strike, when I heard Simon cry out. "What the hell! What are you doing!?" He began to run toward us, and I knew if Hyrule was to be safe I had to do it, and quick. I drove the dagger deep into Kiron's chest, mercilessly, and his last breath burned through his chest and out of his mouth. Occupied with watching his death and returning the dagger to my boot, I was surprised when Simon slammed into me from behind with his shoulder, throwing me a few feet forward with Simon on top of me. His fists beat into me as if he were trying to repay the favor which I bestowed upon Kiron. Blocking with my arms as best I could, I was saved by Zelda, who came screaming from a small exterior door to the castle gardens. "Stop! Simon, what are you doing!? Get off him!" she wailed. He paused and stared at her blankly. "Majesty, I just saw him kill Kiron!" Zelda's eyes widened, and her glance was quickly torn from Simon to my battered face. "What!?" A look of speechless disbelief then took over her face, and she shook her head as tears rolled down her face. "I don't believe it," she finally screeched. "Link, is it true?" I didn't know exactly how to approach her with it, for though it was true, I cared to much for her to spit it out indecently. "Zelda, I can explain," was all I could mutter out. Zelda's hands quickly covered her mouth as she gasped in horror. Simon then seized my right arm to haul me off of the ground, but I struggled to get his hand off the one wound that still burned with pain. "See! Resisting arrest! He did murder him!" He dropped me back to the ground, and I stayed there for a moment clenching my arm in agony. Finally I decided to voice my true motive. "Kiron is not who you think he is. He is an Oni spy." "Liar! There isn't even a such thing as an Oni, or whatever you say. Kiron is, or was, a respectable Hylian soldier!" "I speak the truth!" I lashed out at Simon. "Silence, both of you! I am not sure what to believe now, but a man is dead. Link, you know I hate to do this, and goddesses know I believe you, but it seems I have no choice since there is a witness." Her eyes filled with tears again, and her speech became choked. "Simon, take him." She then turned and walked back to the small door near the garden, stopping in front of it and leaning on the wall only to burst into tears.  
  
Chapter 13 That night I spent much time thinking about the manner in which I had carried myself. I had killed a man, whom I was friends with earlier. He had, after all, helped me escape from the dungeons of the castle before, but why? Then I understood. He had to ensure that I made it to the Oni palace, and also somehow knew I would end up with Ganondorf. It was all becoming clear. A fake attack was sent to Gerudo Fortress, only to push us toward the Oni. They knew I would defeat Ganondorf and receive his portion of the triforce. That would make it much easier for them to get both pieces, instead of killing us both. He knew! And he was probably planning a way to get Zelda to go to Achenne City as well! I fell asleep knowing I was the victim of a bitter framing. The next morning I awoke to the sound of keys opening a padlock. I jumped up to see what it was, not at first recognizing the noise. Simon entered the cell and grabbed my arm, luckily this time my left. Dragging me from the prison, Simon let out word after word of a long, elaborate slur of insults. I took them without protest, for I knew he was incapable of any other kind of thought. We entered the throne room, where a trial was being organized in my honor. The king sat in the largest throne, while a smaller, less ornate throne had been placed to its left for Zelda. Both royals were seated and staring at me, Zelda with a look of shock and fear, while Harkinian gazed upon me with disappointment and even disgust. He spoke his first words toward me, practically spitting them at me. "Link, do you have any first words you would like to say? Any confessions?" "Well, sire, I have some explanations if that is what you mean." "No, save that for later," he replied. He was obviously too busy to hear the true story. "Simon, what is the charge on this man?" Man? Someone finally had sense to call me a man instead of 'boy' or 'kid'! "Your majesty and men of the court," I heard Zelda snort lowly at this, "we, the soldiers and thereby directors of this court, hereby claim Link guilty of the following: contempt, murder, resisting arrest, escaping prison, and conspiracy." Each word seemed to be directed at me, with a certain sneer to each word. "Have you any comments or disagreements with this accusation?" the king asked of me. Now, after hearing the claims, he seemed to dislike me even more. Zelda even lost her look of disbelief. "Yes, sire. First of all, I killed two of the three in question out of both self-defense and protection of Hyrule, including Princess Zelda. The first in Kakariko was not my doing." He eyed me with a sort of peculiarity. "Secondly, I in no way am guilty of conspiracy. Lastly, I never resisted arrest." "You did so! You jolted out of my restrainment just earlier!" Simon barked. "No, I didn't. You grabbed my right arm, and just earlier I had been stabbed there. It was still sore, and your grabbing it didn't help." "Enough! Have you nothing to say against your escaping prison?" the king demanded. "Actually, sire, it was Kiron who helped me escape. I also knew of a plot against the crown, and I could do nothing from the castle's dungeon." As I spoke his eyebrow raised a bit. "Why would he help you escape if, as you say, he were a spy from another race?" I then proceeded to tell him what I had thought of in my cell the previous night. I believed the story was perfectly clear and explained itself, but he still had his doubts. "Why have I never heard of these Oni creatures before?" he inquired. "There is a secret passage through the caves behind the Gerudos' Fortress." "Fine, I will send my troops to investigate." It was then that I remembered I had blocked the pass to Achenne City. "Wait!" I stuttered for a moment. "You can't." "And why is that? Does it not exist?" he wallowed. "No, sire. It does, or rather it did. I bombed the entrance so that they could not follow me." I sighed through the last sentence, realizing that it didn't help my story. "Really? Is there any other non-existent evidence you would like to give me?" I believe that was when I really began to dislike the ruler of Hyrule. I wished I could bring them all back through time to show them, show them that I was once the saviour of Hyrule, show them that I spoke the truth, and most of all prove that I was not guilty of any of these things so that I could go on protecting the land of Hyrule, which now denied me. I held no vengeance, and I would still have protected it with my life. "Sire, obviously he is guilty. We have witnesses as well as first- hand evidence! He should be hanged!" I raised my head rather quickly at this, and I felt my eyes grow wider than usual. The king pondered a minute again. Finally he glanced at me with both sorrow and disgust. "I regret that the evidence does protest against your case, Link. I am afraid there is no other way but to see to your execution." To my surprise even Zelda didn't protest against her father's harsh words! "Zelda! You believe me, don't you?" She stood and walked toward me, her head hung low with tears swelling in her usually bright blue eyes. "Link, how could you do this? After I believed your prophecy?" She stared at me for a moment, then whipped around to leave rather dramatically. "Zelda wait! I didn't do it! You've got to believe me!" Just as I raised my voice, she paused and looked down at her hand, which had begun to glow. Whisking around again, she turned her attention to my hand. "You! How did you get the triforce of power?!" she wailed in disbelief. "When I defeated Ganondorf, it just sort of appeared." "But one can't be the holder of two pieces, only one or the whole!" Once again she didn't believe me. The king then interrupted. "Daughter, tell me how this is relevant." She stared at him expressionlessly. "I suppose it isn't." Finally I grew tired of their distrust in me. "Yes it does! It proves my story even more! I told you what happened!" Just as I finished, Zelda left the room, slamming the door behind her. "Silence, accused!" screeched Simon. He delighted in tormenting me over and over again. "Shut up, Simon," the king demanded. I felt a snicker feel its way out of my throat. The king's attention then directed at me. "I'm glad you find it funny. Unfortunately, I am sure you won't find it funny thirty days from now when you hang from the gallows in the dungeons." Quicker than ever, my mouth slapped shut and my eyes grew fiercely wide, allthewhile Simon snickered at me again. "But sire!" "That is all! Take him away!" At this I felt my stomach sink deep into my gut, alongside my heart and hopes. My one true reason to live had been banished and locked in a cage.  
  
Chapter 14 Days passed, and I grew used to living in my new cell. It was a very dank, dark, and slimy cell; altogether pretty homey. Since there was not much for me to do, I thought about what I could have done differently. I could have never gone back to see Zelda, but then the Oni would surely have invaded Hyrule. I could have never gone to Kakariko, but people would still have known he looked like me. I could have done many things, but they would all have ended up practically handing Hyrule over on a silver plate. I tormented myself with such thoughts for hours, even days at a time. In addition to these horrific thoughts, I also found no necessity in eating. Food no longer interested me, especially if used as 'food for thought.' Though I no longer cared about anything, some feared for my health. Imagine that! Those who were going to kill me in a month feared for my health! And they thought my mentality was poor! *** "Now I have told you all I know, so let me be," requested the heartbroken youth, who wore silly, green attire. After listening to his story I knew who he was. "I knew I had seen you somewhere before! You did kill someone!" I did not mean to aggravate him. "I said let me be!" "You know, I can still help you to escape," I offered. I was, after all, a genius at escaping. "No." "You are hopeless. What else do you plan on doing with your time, huh?" He could not just hang around like I did. He was, as he told me, to die in a month. "Listen, I don't enjoy your company, now let me be! Besides, you could not possibly help me escape. You have been here for years, so if you could escape you would be gone already!" The poor youth was delusional. "A little grumpy, eh? As usual.You still don't have any plans." I heard him mumble something, which was all I ever heard from his side of the dungeon. I was much smarter, for I expressed my thoughts openly! That night I heard him mumbling again after the sun set. I watched intently, hoping he would want to escape with me. I heard him talk of dreams, of love, and of hatred. He swore at himself, which was a very intriguing sight for me. Suddenly, I saw a small glimmer of light come from his cell. A tiny dagger was drawn from his boot, and I heard the poor fool mutter more words: "The country I defend defends me not. The princess I loved loves me not. The king I protected protects me not. What a depressing life I lead! But I am no longer a leader of mine own life, but the puppet of the court of the noble King of Hyrule. A puppet whose purpose is extinct. This dagger, the country of Hyrule itself, now cuts the loyal puppet's strings. Now, devoted puppet, fall to the earth of evil." Pronunciation Guide  
  
Achenne: Ash-en Epona: Ee-poh-nuh Ganondorf: Ga-nun-dorf Gerudo: Gur-ooh-doh Harkinian: Har-kin-ee-yun Hylian: Hih-lee-yun Hyrule: Hi-rool Iron Knuckle: I-urn Nuh-kul Jeocrome: Jeh-crum Kakariko: Ka-kuh-ree-koh Kiron: Ki-run Link: Leenk Oni: Oh-nee Phantom: Fan-tum Simon: Si-mun Stalfos: Stal-fohs Urehla: Yur-ay-luh Zelda: Zel-duh 


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